Definition

1. Noun:
   • Any muscular weakness: "myasthenia" refers to a condition or symptom of abnormal weakness in the muscles.
   • A specific chronic autoimmune disease: More specifically, "myasthenia" is the common name for myasthenia gravis, a chronic illness characterized by progressive fatigue and weakness, often in muscles of the face, neck, and limbs, caused by impaired communication between nerves and muscles.

Usage Examples

• Noun (General Weakness):

  • The patient's myasthenia made simple tasks like climbing stairs very difficult.
  • The doctor noted myasthenia as a key symptom in the initial report.

• Noun (Specific Disease - Myasthenia Gravis):

  • She was diagnosed with myasthenia and began treatment to manage the muscle fatigue.
  • Myasthenia often affects the muscles controlling eye and eyelid movement.

Advanced Usage

• "Myasthenia gravis": The full medical term for the specific autoimmune disorder. While often shortened to just "myasthenia" in context, the full name is used for formal diagnosis.
  • Myasthenia gravis is typically managed with medications that improve neuromuscular transmission.

Variants and Related Words

• Myasthenic (adj): Relating to or suffering from myasthenia.
  • The patient exhibited classic myasthenic symptoms.

Synonyms

• Muscular weakness: A general term for the primary symptom.
• Asthenia: A broader medical term for weakness or lack of strength.

Noun

1. any muscular weakness
2. a chronic progressive disease characterized by chronic fatigue and muscular weakness (especially in the face and neck); caused by a deficiency of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junctions